- Enforcement Directorate searched Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi and daughter's houses
- At least 18 properties in Karnataka were searched under FEMA, regulating foreign money transfers
- Congress leaders allege ED's actions are politically motivated and misuse of central agencies
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the houses of Karnataka minister Satish Jarkiholi and his daughter, Priyanka Jarkiholi, in a money laundering case today, officials said.
The ED officers came to the house of the Karnataka public works department minister in Bengaluru. Simultaneously, they searched the houses of Congress MP Priyanka Jarkiholi and his brother-in-law, YD Manjunath, in Belagavi district near the border with Goa.
Manjunath also faces a separate corruption case linked to the excise department.
In total, the officers searched at least 18 properties across the Congress-ruled state under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) which regulates inter-country money transfers.
Congress leaders called the ED action yet another misuse of central agencies to serve political ends.
"This morning I came to know that my colleague and his family have been raided. It is politically motivated. He is a businessman and he will answer. Satish is a progressive, forward-looking and clean politician," Shivakumar said.
"The BJP could not stand any Dalit leader. They are trying to demolish us politically. They did the same with Nagendra and are trying to do it with Jarkiholi too," the chief minister said, referring to Congress leader B Nagendra who stepped down recently after coming under relentless attack from the BJP over corruption allegations.
A large number of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel provided security cordon to the ED officers as they searched the properties of the politicians.
State Congress chief BK Hariprasad alleged the Centre is using the ED to "threaten" Opposition leaders, and that he was not surprised by the turn of events.
"The Enforcement Directorate, Income Tax Department and CBI under the BJP government are being used to threaten opposition party leaders and, again, for the washing machine," Hariprasad told reporters.
"The Supreme Court has already reprimanded the ED, but it appears they have still not learnt any lesson," he said.
Priyanka Jarkiholi is the MP from Karnataka's Chikkodi Lok Sabha seat. The Congress chief asked whether the ED had taken the Speaker's permission, as required by rules, before going to the parliamentarian's house.
